A Change of Fate
by Amber Hart
Summary: Mrs. Lovett gets a second chance to make things right in this story. A chance to go back in time to before she lied and change her terrible fate....
1. Chapter 1

A Change of Fate

Story Info.

This story starts right before Ms. Lovett lies to Mr. Todd about Lucy in the movie (not play). I do not own any of the characters from Sweeney Todd, although it would be pretty friggin' sweet if I did. Also, I might get some lines wrong because I don't feel like going through the movie to figure out what they said. I will try to keep the dialogue that I come up with as close to the characters as possible.

Chapter One

"Where's Lucy? Where's my wife?"

Mrs. Lovett stumbled over her words. This was the man she loved standing in front of her, right in the middle of her parlor. Gone for fifteen years and now he was finally back. She couldn't let him get away from her this time. She had to make something up.

"Poisoned 'erself. Arsenic. Tried to stop 'er, but she wouldn't listen to me. Oh, and he's got your daughter."

She hadn't needed to say his name; he knew instantly who she was talking about.

"Judge Turpin." He spat out.

Tears flooded Benjamin Barker's eyes and he realized how bad the situation truly was. He had stupidly thought that Lucy would still be here, raising Johanna, just waiting for him to come back. But, fifteen years was a long time. She had needed to find someone to take care of her, and Turpin was there, but he wanted different things than she had. Now she lay in ashes and it was all his fault.

He could have done something to stop this, couldn't he? He was too foolish to have seen what was happening before his very eyes, that day when they had been separated. He should have noticed the way Turpin gazed at her. Full of lust. But of course a sin committed by a judge wouldn't matter to anyone, he was above everything: the law, society, and definately above Benjamin Barker. It must have been easy to just throw him out of the picture, rape Lucy, and dispose of her when she was out of use to him. He was sick, twisted, and deserved to die more than anyone else in the world. Except himself; he deserved to die just as much as the Judge did, for his foolishness.

Mrs. Lovett could take no more of the guilt radiating from him. She continued.

"He drove 'er crazy, the judge did. The poison didn't kill 'er, but it left her feeling rather weak and all she did was just lie in bed day by day. She should've been in an 'ospital but Turpin had her wheeled off to Bedlam."

This seemed to cheer Barker up a bit; at least she hadn't died.

"Is she still residing there?"

A glimmer of hope shone in his eyes; he knew he could rescue her and then they'd be back together. He knew their love could break the bond holding her in eternal madness. Mrs. Lovett shook her head warily, not so sure if telling him all this had been a good idea; her chances might be ruined with him.

"She begs on the streets nowadays. Nobody pays 'er no mind though. She's become a loony over the years; I wouldn't recommend going off to find 'er, love."

But he wasn't listening to her. He had already grabbed his coat and was already halfway out the door.

"Wait!"

He turned around.

"What is it?" he asked impatiently.

"Be careful."

It was a whisper but he heard it and nodded, rushing into the streets.

* * *

Benjamin Barker had examined every beggar woman he had passed by going through the streets. Not one of them had been Lucy. They were all brunettes and redheads; Lucy had yellow hair. That was one thing about her that he'd never forget: the long, flowing, yellow hair that sparkled like gold when the sun hit it. He could recognize her from a mile away with all the beauty she possessed, and all the memories of her that he could recall. Admittedly, there weren't many, but enough to keep him going strong and confident.

Finally he came upon a bench and decided to rest for a moment. Directly in front of the bench was a large mansion. _Lucky bugger. _He thought to himself. A couple walked past him and stopped in front of the house.

"Oi, look it's old Turpin's 'ouse."

The woman smiled and nodded.

"Let's not doddle about for too long, dear, he doesn't like trespassers. You remember what he did to Jasper."

The man's face took on pain tht Sweeney recognized and nodded solemnly.

"All he did was look into the daughter's window for 'alf a second. He wasn't gandering or nothin'."

The woman squeezed his hand and they quickly walked away from the house without a second glance. 

_Turpin,_ he thought._ Lucky bugger indeed._

_--AUTHORS NOTE--_

_Reviews would be apprieciated! Sorry if the first chapter is a bit short, I'm working towards longer chapters. Keep reading to find out what happens next in this terrifying tale...A CHANGE OF FATE!(lol, always wanted to do that)_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Benjamin rose from the bench to confront the couple, hoping to get more information on this house and its owner, but they had already hurried past him and down the street.

"Mum, could you tell me whose house this is?"

Benjamin turned to see who was talking. The young sailor, Anthony stood alongside a beggar woman, talking about Turpin. One word in particular caught his attention: Johanna.

"Keeps her snug he does, all locked up."

His mind set on Lucy, he had completely forgotten about his daughter. She was still in that madhouse and he knew he had to get her out somehow.

The beggar woman walked away and Anthony continued to stare up at Johanna. Again he saw an expression he recognized. _The young sailor fancied Johanna! Only fifteen years old and already she is in love!_ He sighed to himself; he was missing so much in his daughter's life. Fifteen years was indeed a long time, and a lot of things had changed. The simple opening of the judge's door brought him back to reality; Turpin had come outside.

Benjamin turned his head so he wouldn't be recognized by the judge. Soon after, he heard a door slam and he turned back around. Turpin and Anthony had gone inside the mansion, and he feared what would come back out once Turpin was through with the boy. If what that couple said was true, then Anthony could be in big trouble.

While he was thinking, a beggar woman approached him.

"Alms for a miserable woman?"

He absentmindedly dropped some money into her hand, his mind still hard at work.

"Thank you sir, may the lord bless- wait, don't I know you?"

He turned to look at her face, which he instantly regretted. She was probably the most filthy thing he had ever laid eyes on.

"I don't think so." he said hastily, turning his face away.

Then something in the back of his mind pinged him. What color hair did she have? He returned to her face for a second more and realized that she had yellow hair, just like Lucy. But could it really be her?

"On second thought, I do think I know you from somewhere. Do you recognize the name Benjamin Barker?"

The woman pondered this for a moment.

"Hmm, no never 'eard of him. Why?"

Benjamin grew very angry at this. She really didn't remember him. Her own husband! Turpin would die for what he did to her and Johanna. Then he would burn in hell once he had died. This is not over.

"It's not important. It was nice meeting you, mum."

He gave a slight bow then walked back in the direction the pie shop.

* * *

Mrs. Lovett was waiting outside the shop, looking rather anxious. There were so many things bothering her. What if he had gotten lost, seeing that he hadn't been in London for several years, and couldn't find his way back? What if the judge had recognized him and harmed him or tried to send him away again? What if he had found Lucy and...and what? What could he have done to help her? She shook her head. There was nothing he could have done. She was beyond help; there was nothing to fret over. She took a deep breath and looked towards the street again.

Sure enough a tired looking Benjamin Barker came trudging up the street, unscathed and alone. _Thank heavens. _She ran towards him, offering an arm to lean on.

"I'm fine Mrs. Lovett, physically at least."

She dropped her arm, but continued to talk.

"You 'ad me worried sick you did, sure took your time getting 'ome didn't you?"

Benjamin went inside and sat down at a table, soon followed by Mrs. Lovett. She smiled brightly, trying to sound casual.

"So, did you ever find Lucy?"

He scoffed and muttered, "Oh, I found her all right."

Her smile lowered a bit.

"And 'ow's she doing?"

He took his time answering.

"She's forgotten all about me. Turpin's a bloody sick bastard, and he will pay for this. I'm afraid the fee might be a bit too high for his fat wallet to accommodate, however."

Mrs. Lovett perked up at this and her smile returned again.

"Well, lets not dwell on this for too long, eh? 'Ow about a glass of gin?"

He wasn't paying attention to her. He rose from his seat and started pacing the shop.

"I've spent fifteen years sweating and living hell on a false charge. Fifteen years dreaming I might come home to a wife and child. Instead, I come home to find Lucy on the streets begging alms, and my only daughter caged in the house of a madman like a bird."

Mrs. Lovett sighed and crossed the room to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I can't say the years 'ave been particularly kind to you, Mr. Barker-"

He turned, knocking her hand off of him, "No!"

He had thought about this earlier; an alias was needed for him to get to the Judge.

"Not Barker. That man is dead. It's Todd now, Sweeney Todd, and he shall have his revenge."


	3. Chapter 3

_--AUTHORS NOTE--_

_I have decided to make some changes in my writing so that it's easier to read, and also I elongated it so that there will be more for you to read in each chapter. Please keep reviewing so that I can make my story the best that it can be!_

Chapter Three

Mrs. Lovett's eyes grew wide as she realized the true seriousness of the situation.

"Well then, I suppose it's time for you to 'ave a look upstairs isn't it?"

She left the shop and walked up the outside stairs, leading the way for Sweeney. She took out a key and unlocked the door that led to his abandoned barbershop. Sweeney however, lingered in the doorway; staring into the room and feeling sadness that is impossible to put into words. The tears that should have been flowing from his eyes at this point had been halted by the anger that was still boiling inside him at the Judge's cruel actions. The two conflicting emotions gave his face a sort of hopeless pout.

"Come in," Mrs. Lovett said soothingly, "Nothing to be afraid of, love."

On the contrary, there were many things in Sweeney's past that he had reason to be afraid of; many memories could be found in that room. Yes, as Mrs. Lovett said before, this house was haunted, by the ghosts of his past.

He entered hesitantly and slowly crossed the room to Johanna's old crib. It was filthy and covered with dust. He lifted the tarp that was over it and saw her old doll lying in the crib. It held memories he'd rather not think about of his dear daughter. He heard a noise and turned his head; Mrs. Lovett seemed to be taking something out from under the floorboards. He draped the tarp over the crib and walked to where Mrs. Lovett was kneeling on the floor.

"I could've sold 'em, but I didn't." she said, holding out a box for him to open.

He did so suspiciously for he didn't know what Mrs. Lovett could have kept inside. The box held his razors; his old friends. Despite the fact that they had been under the floorboards and in that box for a decade and a half, they didn't look even the least bit dusty.

"Them's pure silver ain't they?" Mrs. Lovett asked, trying to bring him back to Earth.

He gave a small smile, "Silver…yes."

He murmured, deep in thought, "These are my dear friends. See how they glisten in the light? Ah yes, we've both been locked away all of these years. And now I've come home to find you waiting, and we're together. We'll do such wonders, won't we?"

He went on, muttering words of comfort under his breath. Mrs. Lovett watched him thoughtfully. _He really is a wonder isn't he? Look at how carefully he holds those razors, like they're his baby. I wish he would look at me like that. Like he had any sort of feelings for me. _She frowned, she had to catch his interest somehow or else all hope would be lost.

He opened one of his razors and mused, "Are you there, my friend?"

Mrs. Lovett, determined, walked up behind him, "I'm your friend too, Mr. Todd. Oh, if you only knew, Mr. Todd." She smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Unfortunately for her he was completely oblivious to her attempts to get his interest and continued. "My friend, my clever friend."

Both of them continued their soft rantings, not seeming to notice what was going on around them. Sweeney was walking about the room, whispering to the razor in his own little dreamworld, as Mrs. Lovett followed him like a puppy and tried to convince herself that he was actually listening to her. The two made some sort of strange duet in their soft but careful movements and words. Sweeney was kneeling on the floor and staring into his razor when he finally noticed Mrs. Lovett over his shoulder, gazing at him longingly.

Without turning or making the slightest movement, he whispered to her, "Leave me."

Mrs. Lovett understood that he needed some time alone to gather his thoughts about everything going on at this point in time, and she respected that. She gave him a small smile then left as quickly as she had come in, leaving Sweeney and his razors alone in the abandoned barbershop. After a slight moment of consideration, he got up onto his feet and gazed out of the window.

"At last," he proclaimed, "my arm is complete again!"

* * *

Mrs. Lovett bumbled along in her shop, waiting for Sweeney to come down to eat supper. He was still up there playing with his razors. What a statement! A grown man, playing with sharp and shiny objects. _Yes, he really is a wonder. _Mrs. Lovett mused, whether that be a good or bad thing she had no idea.

She couldn't keep her mind away from Lucy. Now that he knew about her being alive, what would happen next? Though she didn't quite yet know Sweeney Todd; she knew Benjamin Barker, and he was the kind of man who would not give up on something, especially his precious wife. And she was very sure, that even though Mr. Barker had been transformed into this frightening and mysterious new person, that important part of him would never change. If only she knew what that could lead to!

Finally she saw Sweeney poke his head through the door.

"Nice you could join us, Mr. Todd. 'Ave a seat, love."

He nodded his head once and sat in a seat by the window overlooking Fleet Street. _There must be a way to the Judge. There must be! I could find the Beadle and... Or I could convince the chief of police to... Perhaps even have a talk with Johanna...if I could get to her that is..._

He didn't say a word to Mrs. Lovett the entire time she made dinner. She babbled along about how her shop could use some sprucing up and maybe an addition to the recipe so that more customers would come around. In fact, Sweeney remained silent even through dinner; the cogs in his mind turning through all of the possible options. Mrs. Lovett could take no more.

"So, Mr. Todd, 'ow are you feeling?" she asked, hopelessly attempting to start a conversation.

He turned to look at her, trying to understand what gave her the nerve to interrupt his thoughts. He gave her a glare and went back to eating his dinner and contemplating revenge. _Stab into stomach, slash ribcage, stab into chest, stab into right shoulder, pause for reaction, slit throat... _Mrs. Lovett tried again.

"Pirelli's coming into town again tomorrow. That's exciting. I'm sure you of all people would love to meet the best barber in London." she said, grinning.

Sweeney turned to look at her again, this time slightly interested. "Best barber in London, you said?"

She nodded, feeling excited that she had gotten his attention. "Oh, yes. At least that's wot' he says he is; 'the king of barbers, the barber of kings.'"

He chuckled a bit to himself. "We'll see about that."


End file.
